Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in the engineering industry will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.

 

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Role Model Videos: Career Options for Women -- Engineering

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Item #: EDV51

Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they're able to see someone who looks like them on the job. This video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field.

Engineering and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated engineering field.

Elizabeth: Product Support Engineer

Which people help to influence your decisions the most? Elizabeth Nethery credits one of her 12th grade teachers. Although English was her best subject, her teacher encouraged Elizabeth to pursue an engineering education. It's a decision Elizabeth has never regretted. With a degree in physics engineering, Elizabeth earns a good salary and enjoys a high level of job satisfaction. She helps people regain the use of their limbs with prosthetics.

Elizabeth was drawn to this field because she really wanted to work in an engineering role that creates a product that helps people.

When asked what it takes to make it in a non-traditional career, Elizabeth replied: "Dream big. You can do anything; you just have to find what you want to do. Don't be afraid to try, you'll never know if you like it until you try and you can always change careers, especially if you can make a decent living while you're doing it. There's a lot to be said for being in a field where the pay is good and you are in demand."

Elisabeth: Computer Software Engineer

Software engineer Elisabeth Paul has a job that is out of this world! She designs software that is used by the Canada Arm on international space projects.

Initially, Elisabeth was encouraged to enter computer engineering by her mother, who believed that the future lay in this career choice. Elisabeth took her advice. Elisabeth's hard work has resulted in an excellent career and a good life right here on Earth.

Elisabeth feels that the most important personal quality to have if you want to be an engineer is a sense of curiosity. Things are always moving so quickly in the software environment, so it is important to be continually keeping up.

Daisy: Environmental Engineer

Daisy Lung works for Next Environmental Inc., an environmental engineering consulting firm. She is a part of the Site Investigation Team, which investigates potential environmental concerns at different properties. Then, a strategy is created to clean up the contamination so that land can be used again.

Her career path began after high school, when she went into the engineering program at the University of British Columbia. At the end of the first year, she chose to go into the Bio-Resource Engineering program. She graduated in 1998, with a bachelor's degree. A few months after graduating from university, Daisy completed a job search program, which involved finding an eight-week job placement at a company in her field of study. She approached Next and a few other companies, and ended up choosing Next Environmental Inc. to do her voluntary placement. After the eight weeks, she was officially hired by Next.

For those who are interested in pursuing a similar career, Daisy recommends talking to someone in the field. Also, if you have an opportunity to do a placement for career prep in the field, then do it. Look into the university calendars and make sure you take the necessary courses to get into the engineering program. Today's rapid technological revolution means that engineers will be continually upgrading their education for many years to come.

"It's interesting to see how things work and how it is designed in engineering. Also, I like having the chance to work both inside and outside of the office. Staring into a computer, day after day, all day long is not much fun."